Union dues back in legislative spotlight

Early bill targets payroll deductions

by Mary Jo Pitzl - Jan. 13, 2013 09:38 PMThe Republic | azcentral.com

Public-employee unions will again be in the hot seat at the Legislature, following an effort last year that had mixed success.

Rep. Michelle Ugenti, R-Scottsdale, has introduced a bill to require local governments to take a vote by the end of the year on whether to deduct union dues from employee paychecks. If they fail to do so, they will be barred from the practice.

House Bill 2026 is a kinder, gentler approach to a proposal last year that would have banned the deduction option altogether. That bill stalled in the Senate and never made it to the House.

Ugenti said her intent is to make local governments, ranging from city councils to fire-district boards, take deliberate action on whether to allow the practice.

Critics of the unions say it's a waste of taxpayer dollars to have union dues deducted from paychecks, arguing that the unions should conduct their own collection process.

Ugenti noted that some cities, such as Scottsdale, already ban the process, while others, such as Phoenix, last considered the option decades ago.

But Roman Ulman, Arizona president of the retiree chapter of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, said the bill isn't needed.

"It's already that way," he said.

Every time a local government negotiates a union contract, the issue of whether to deduct dues is part of the agreement, Ulman said.

Other bills targeting unions may be ahead. Sen. Rick Murphy, R-Peoria, said he intends to resurrect two of the bills he championed through the Senate last year only to see them die in the House.

One would require government employees who belong to a union to annually authorize the deduction of union dues from their paychecks, instead of the continuous authorization that is in place now.

The second would ban the practice of giving union officials time off from their government duties to work on union matters.

This "release time" is offensive, Murphy said, since it's using a taxpayer-supported salary to do union business.

"No other private organization gets to be subsidized to that extent," Murphy said.

The bills died in the House, but Murphy said he's going to try again. "I always remain optimistic," he said.

Local governments have yet to take a stand on Ugenti's bill, which will be considered after the Legislature convenes its session today. Ugenti chairs the House Government Committee, which most likely will hear the bill.

Karen Peters, who lobbies on behalf of the city of Phoenix, said Phoenix council members haven't seen the bill yet. Neither has Peoria Mayor Bob Barrett.

But critics such as Ulman say the proposal is part of a continuing double standard from the Legislature: imposing mandates on local governments while chafing at federal dictates.